Pan Tao Restaurant

8/5/2012

This place is now "New Port Restaurant - Sunnyvale, CA". Phone number and address is the name. Just new management or something or other. There's a rumor that the staff got together to buy out the owner or something.

Anyways, this is one of 4 places that my family goes to when we have huge reunions...or small ones.

It's just pure goodness. It is quite packed during lunch, so it's hard to hear a conversation.

10/31/2010

Thoroughly enjoyed the food! There was at least a 20 minute wait but because it was just the K.T. and I, we were sat right away - however put in a corner away from all the carts. In an odd slight of hand though, I managed to flag down a few carts that had our favorite dishes.
Everything was really fresh and hot except for the crispy shrimp balls but they were still tasty. The Chinese broccoli was perfectly crisp and they had huge portions of it; also ordered the har gao, shu mai, tofu w/ shrimp (Mmmmmmmmmmmmm num) and the shrimp noodles. We, of course, couldn't finish everything but were happy with the overall experience.

12/3/2012

The old Pan Tao used to be the only other Dim Sum choice you had in the area. Then Dynasty and Joy Luck came about, with better higher end food. It has since transformed into New Port which is fairly decent too.

8/15/2008

• Listed in Bay Area Dim Sums

Walking in on a Sunday at 12:30pm, the wait wasn't so bad for a table for four. We got our number and sat outside waiting for roughly 15 minutes max.

We ordered about a dozen of items, mostly seafood, and they were all quite delicious. Unlike some other dim sum dishes I'd had in the past, they were neither too greasy nor heavy. Most were flavored well, so there was really no need for me to add extra sauce (i.e., soy sauce).

We especially liked the shrimp dumplings (har gao), stuffed bell peppers, seafood dumplings and pork buns. The chicken rice wrapped in lotus leaves and the spare ribs were decent, and the steamed Chinese broccolis were nicely crunchy.

Anyway, after all this food we were full...but not grossly full, if you know what I mean. I really liked that.

The place is fairly large, clean and not too cramped. You'll find a good number of dim sum carts circulating around, at least on the weekends. We had no issue with the service, which is always a plus.

Well, I'm certainly not a dim sum expert, but I believe that this place is one of the better ones in the area. We'll definitely go back, especially when the lines at other dim sum joints (ex. one in Cupertino Village) are unbearably long...

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• See all photos from Keiko S. for Pan Tao Restaurant

4/13/2010

• 1 check-in

Yum. Been here for dim sum and dinner with the Parents and both times the food has not disappointed.
For dim sum, come early as the place gets packed and the parking lot fills up before the restaurant and this is one time where you want to sit near the kitchen otherwise all the good stuff is gone before it gets to you. I guess this pretty much goes for any dim sum place.
For dinner the poached chicken was amazing!! My dad devoured it and it was juicy and flavorful. They even had mu shu pork but it wasn't on the menu.

8/25/2009

I'm always afraid to go to Dim Sum places without a translator, but I've been craving it for a while now, so I decided to brave it.  Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad.  This place is pretty small, as dim sum places go, and at lunch it was not at all crowded.  Not empty, but not crowded either.  So within 2 minutes of sitting down, we were visiting by 3 carts full of goodies, and were able to load up our table.

The cart ladies were actually very nice, patient, and easy to understand.  Which, in my experience, is a huge commodity.  We got our questions answered, ordered exactly what we wanted, and weren't made to feel stupid for not knowing the language.

The food itself wasn't stupendous, but not bad either.  I've definitely had better, but judging from the reviews of other Dim Sum in the South Bay, this seems to be as good as it gets.

8/7/2010

• Listed in Chinese Food

I had never gone to Pan Tao until recently, when a friend recommended it for dim sum. I came with my dad and we were very happy with our meal. I then returned on Mother's Day with my sister and Mom and had more good dim sum--minus the crazy long wait. If you come here on a holiday, I would recommend arriving early to avoid the crowds.

I suggest the sticky rice, chicken feet, chow mein, custard buns, bbq pork buns, and donuts (these are to die for--they're so light, fluffy, and good that you might just think you're in heaven).

The prices are standard, but for the quality and taste, I'd say it's a good value. The service is also pretty decent for an Asian restaurant!

1/17/2010 Updated review

• 1 check-in

On a visit last week since Joy Luck in Cupertino was a 40 minute wait, we decided to swing by the neighboring Pan Tao instead. Only this time.. service was pretty abysmal and excruciating slow at times.

While they still offer some harder to find items on their carts, the food itself seems to have gone downhill too and just tastes.. very average or worse. The usual staples of dim sum like har gow, shiu mai taste the same but this place is pretty much at best a dim sum place you drop by if you have to get your fix and don't feel like waiting an hour or so on Sundays.

1/16/2010

My family is a regular here. The dim sum is relatively cheap for decent quality. Yes, some dishes can get pretty greasy; yes the service can suck at some points, but really, the overall experience should satisfy one's dim sum cravings.

People who regularly compare US dim sum to Hong Kong or other Asia based locations are losers. I'm sorry but this is the USA, what did you expect? Of course it won't compare, but at least its a decent alternative to those who can't afford to travel to Asia whenever we have a dim sum craving.

Dinner is decent, though I've only come here once for dinner. It was normal service with decent food. I'd say a solid 3 stars at least.

Warning: Parking here is hard to find if in the middle of dimsum rush.

3/28/2010

I've been here a few times, and I've always liked their dim sum. I'm certainly not an expert or anything, I've never actually had the real stuff in Asia, but I think their food was tasty. They also seem to have some things I don't see at most other dim sum places, like the fried shrimp and fried taro nests. Then again, maybe i don't pay enough attention at other places.

The parking lot though, is so crowded. You usually have to park over in Cupertino Village and walk over, unless you want to wait around in the lot for a while.

Also, some of the items don't come around very frequently. My friend really wanted the fried taro nests, and it only came around near the end of our meal, after we'd been sitting there for an hour.

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• See all photos from Ryo T. for Pan Tao Restaurant

10/28/2010

I don't know why but every family gatherings we end up here for dinner at Pan Tao!

My friend have raved about their dimsum for lunch so I finally tried it one day with my close friends on a weekend before Pan Tao get busy. We got there around 11am but oh boy it was packed. We waited about 30 mins for the food.

Everything's yummy here and I like the prices a lot better. You have to be a little rude here though to get what you want or else they'll push you around and offer you food that you didn't even order. LOL.

My FAV: CHICKEN FEET!

8/15/2010

I've NEVER been treated with such friendliness at a dim sum place, even as they said the dim sum portion of the menu would be closing soon.  In fact, the service was a tad overbearing at times, but truthfully the staff were nothing but helpful and nice.  Maybe it was because I ordered chicken feet...I've proved my worth as a dim sum diner beyond the usual shumai!

We ordered all sorts of typical dishes, but the one that really stood out to me was the porridge.  They came around with a cart and we asked for some, but they said they'd make a fresher hot batch since the one on the cart was going cold.  Our new, piping hot porridge had a great flavor, lots of green onions, and this delicious crunchy thingies that made the texture really great!

Because we had strolled in towards the end of the dim sum hour, a few of our dishes were somewhat cold, but still yummy.  And I appreciated that my chicken feet weren't a fake bright red, but still had that slight kick to them.

12/4/2010 Updated review

Pan Tao is now closed! There's a new restaurant in its place!

4/21/2009

I came here last weekend with several friends for dim sum, and my impression is that it's good.  (I am a bit stringent on the 4 stars nowadays)..

- environment:  crowded and like most other Chinese dimsum restaurant, busy and noisy, avg cleanness.

- food:  I would say the food deserves at least a 3.5 stars, though the lady that pushes the carts around could come by a little more frequently.

- value:  I didn't pay the bill but I think this place is a little less expensive than the Joy Palace across the street. Overall a good value find, not for those looking for a "nice" dining experience, just your avg weekend family /crowd kind of brunch experience, for the right amount of $ as well.  

so, I think I will come back here again in the near future when I crave dimsum..

3/24/2009

We've come here a few times on a Sunday around 1pm, and this place is always PACKED.  Luckily at this time, the wait is pretty short since most diners are getting ready to leave - so don't let that long line in the front fool you.
Unfortunately, this is also the time when they run out of popular dishes, so here's a tip: if you see something you like - GRAB IT!

There isnt' a single thing I've tried that I don't like.  Nothing overly spicy or oily.  And contrary to some reviews I've seen - I love the service here.  The staff is surprisingly friendly.  Maybe because they aren't as busy after the lunch rush..?

One thing I noticed is there aren't too many carts that come around.  There were times when we were waiting around for anyone to pass by, and when someone finally came out of the kitchen with a fresh cart, everyone around us tried to flag them down.

4/16/2010

I don't know if I know enough about real Chinese food to write a review...but here it goes.

Came here for a wedding with about 100 other guests. Service was fast but a little messy. They served a ten course meal most of which I really took a chance on. I really have no idea what I ate. Maybe this is not helpful, but for the most part I liked the flavors! As for the textures....most of was slimy and and very odorous!

I very much liked the walnut prawns...I've eaten enough walnut prawns to know that these were excellent here! I might go back JUST for the walnut prawns. We also ate alot of what I think was tofu, mushrooms and fish, all with good flavor, but after a while everything tasted the same :(

Unless you are really into Chinese food and know what you are eating I would try this place out, otherwise, go with someone who knows ;)

1/14/2009

It's a pretty good dim sum place. Some of the dim sum are fabulous, where some others are just so-so. I would come here again to try out more things, but with so many other dim sum places around, this place isn't good enough for me to go regularly.

Service is below average, like many other Asian places.

1/7/2010 Updated review

My mom brought home 2 orders of lobster ye-mein noodles in one giant foil pan home this past weekend.

I came home late, wasn't hungry cuz I ate already. Later on I stayed up late went down stairs lifted up the foil covering the pan to see the lobster ye-mein singing to me to "ahhhhhh...." like it was telling me to eat it.

I had to heat it up in the microwave for it to be warm... I devoured the whole plate as my mid night snack making multiple trips back downstairs to get more.

My last trip downstairs was to empty the foil container out. I was full, happy, and content. I looked out the window and realized it was morning. Time to go to bed.

Now I have cravings for lobster ye-mein. Thanks mom, I hope this chinese restaurant by my work has it and makes it just as good as Pan Tao does or better.

11/17/2007

-was a wait, for 15 but actually it was bout 10
-i love anything shrimp
-was with a chinese friend who claimed this would be a 1 since there are 5s in san francisco and offered to take me
-they did not have anything custard for dessert so i was sad
-but this may have been a star up than the other dimsum places i've been to
-liked how all their wraps weren't jacked-up and still whole with no rips/tears
-1'st time i've seen flower tea, so pretty...
=TAKE ME TO SAN FRANCISCO FOR DIMSUM PLEASE

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  flower tea soooo romantic

  flower tea soooo romantic

1/24/2010

My family and I come here regularly. It is a good idea to try to get in before 11:30 a.m. so you don't have to wait long to be seated and find parking. That is probably one of the cons about this place is that the parking lot is pretty bad when there's tons of cars.  

The prices for dim sum is relatively cheap compared to other dim sum places. They offer a lot of variety on their carts. The food usually comes out fresh and hot.  They also offer friendly service. If they don't have something on the carts that you want, you can just ask one of the guys walking around and they will get it for you. It was also a plus that our waters were hardly empty for a long period of time.

Today there was 6 of us. We ordered over 20 dishes for a total of $92.

Some of the items we ordered (all very tasty):

Char Siu Bao (steamed buns stuffed with barbecued pork)
Cheung fun - Rice Noodle Rolls (with shrimp)
Fung Jeow (Chicken's feet)
Har Gau (shrimp dumplings)
Lo Mai Gai (Sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf)
Sui Mai (shrimp and pork dumpling)
Taro dumplings

Dessert-
Sesame Seed Balls
Dan Tart (Baked tart with egg custard filling)

I would definitely recommend people trying out Pan Tao for dim sum.